Our preview of Brentford's visit to the Lamex...
BrentfordSky Bet League 1
Saturday 12th October
The Lamex Stadium, Stevenage, SG2 8RH
Kick-off: 3pm
Weather forecast: 13°c, Wet and Cloudy.
Referee: Christopher Sarginson (Staffordshire)
After a morale boosting victory on Tuesday night which ended Boro’s winless run, Brentford come to The Lamex this weekend looking to keep up their challenge for the play-offs by breaking their mini-slump.
Last time we met:
Boro came out on top with a 1-0 win over Brentford when the two sides last met, late last season. The result marked the end of a 6 match losing streak for Stevenage and were thoroughly deserving of the points. Boro dominated the first half without finding a break-through and it took until the 75th minute before Marcus Haber’s strike secured the win.
Team news:
David Gray may return to the first team squad after nursing a knee problem, whilst Darius Charles and Ben Chorley are unlikely to feature. The big news for Boro is that Luke Freeman and Michael Doughty are both out of the fixture through suspension after picking up their 5th bookings of the campaign on Tuesday night.
For Brentford, Jade Bidwell is hoping to take part after playing his first 90 minutes for almost two months on Tuesday night against Peterborough. The left-back has been out for most of the season with an ankle injury and is still some way off full fitness.
View from the dressing room:
Graham Westley, Luke Jones and Simon Heslop had their say on Saturday’s game:
To view the full interviews sign in to your Boro Player account.
The Brentford Scout Report:
Recent form:
After missing out on a chance to compete in the play-off final in the most heart-breaking of fashions last season, Brentford are determined to make things right this time around. Uwe Rösler won’t be entirely satisfied with their start to the season as a lack of consistency means they’re 4 points off the play-off places. They’ve had some terrific results (3-4 away at Tranmere) and some disappointing results (4-0 loss at Bradford) in equal measure and are currently on the back of two game losing streak.
Key Men:
Clayton Donaldson bagged 24 goals last season for the Bees, including 18 in League 1. The lanky yet pacey former York, Hibs and Crewe front man has already found the back of the net four times already this season and will hope to form a promising partnership with top scorer Farid El Alagui. After enduring an injury-hit first year at Griffin Park the 28-year old Frenchman has five goals himself this season – albeit four of which have come in cup competitions against lower opposition sides.